HEALTH DEPARTMENT SCHEDULES NOVEMBER 18 FLU VACCINE CLINIC

You don’t want to get the flu, but you don’t want to give it either. The flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and the people you love.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announce that the Health Department will hold a flu vaccine clinic on Friday, November 18, from 1-4 p.m. at the Robert Yeager Health Center, Building A, second floor rotunda clinic area, located on Sanatorium Road in Pomona.

The Health Department offers the flu vaccine to residents 9 years and older; no appointments are needed. The vaccine is free of charge to adults 65 years and older (please bring identification with proof of age). Patients with Medicare and Medicaid must bring their cards. There is a $30 fee for those nine through 64-years-old. Each patient must bring proof of Rockland County residency such as a driver’s license or utility bill. It is recommended that you wait for 15 minutes after being vaccinated so you can be observed for any reactions.

The Health Department will be giving the quadrivalent flu vaccine which does not contain the preservative thimerosal. The vaccine is called quadrivalent because it offers protection against four different flu viruses that research shows will be most common during this flu season: two influenza (flu) A viruses and two influenza B viruses. Talk to your doctor before getting the flu shot if you have an allergy to eggs or any of the ingredients in the vaccine (talk to your doctor about your allergy); and if you are not feeling well (talk to your doctor about your symptoms).

The flu is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. “Flu season has already begun, though cases are sporadic. Now is a good time to get your flu vaccine. It is the main way to prevent the flu and its complications,” said Dr. Ruppert. As the Health Department receives more shipments of the vaccine, additional flu vaccine clinics will be scheduled. For more information about the flu and the flu vaccine clinics visithttp://bit.ly/2c154Bj or call 845-364-2520.